Asia Lizardo Lands Supporting Lead in Feature Film After Faith-Fueled Surrender

Beto Gudino
Sep 6, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Nov 16

Hey everyone, Beto and Mili here from Christian Podcast (@xtianpodcast). Asia Lizardo reached out to rent our Costa Mesa studio for her own podcast project—she was in Orange County for a quick meeting and wanted to check the space. We gave her the tour, started chatting about faith and film, and one hour in Mili looked at me and said, “We’re hitting record right now.” Asia stayed for a full episode, and what unfolded was one of those raw, real conversations that reminds you God shows up exactly when He plans to.

From Global Roots to Hollywood Hustle (And a Few Plot Twists)

Asia was born in the Philippines and spent her earliest years in Saudi Arabia—petting camels, eating yellow rice, the whole deal during the oil-war days. Her dad’s job as an aircraft mechanic took the family to Vancouver when she was five, and that’s where musical theater grabbed her. Aunts and uncles on her mom’s side are all entertainers; dad’s side leans political.

Montreal came next for eight years. She tried political science at Concordia, aced one philosophy class, bombed the rest, and got kicked out after missing enrollment emails. “I cried in my car, called my mom,” she said. Mom was already in California: “Come here and go all-in on acting.”

She trained Meisner in LA, signed with management, then visa rules sent her back to Vancouver. First booking? A mean-girl one-liner on The Babysitters Club (Netflix, Episode 7). “I was crying on set—not acting, just overwhelmed it finally happened.”

COVID, Construction Boots, and the 2023 Strike (The “Wait, What?” Years)

COVID hit and everything stopped. Asia took the only job going: six months paving highways in rural Canada.

16–19 hour shifts
24 days straight, 4 days off
Yellow vest, stop sign, flagging trucks in the middle of nowhere

Those long, exhausting days in the cold, surrounded by a crew that leaned heavy on drinking and quick fixes, took a toll. Asia opened up about gaining a noticeable amount of weight during that season—not from laziness, but from survival mode: irregular meals, stress eating, no gym access, and just trying to keep her head above water. “I looked in the mirror one day and thought, ‘This isn’t me,’” she shared. But instead of shame, she chose grace for herself. She got a gym job, rebuilt her habits step by step, and lost the weight while still chasing auditions. It was a quiet victory that reminded her resilience isn’t about perfection—it’s about getting back up with Jesus in the passenger seat.

Then the 2023 strike. “Another shutdown,” she said. She quit the gym, moved in with her parents in Riverside, CA, and started focusing on a podcast idea plus helping her sisters with their body-sculpting business.

Three days in a dark room, praying nonstop: “If acting isn’t for me, take it away.”

The Hotel-Room Revelation (The Moment Everything Clicked)

A self-tape with her sister reading lines over FaceTime got a callback. Days later: “You’re approved for Gabby.” Supporting lead in the upcoming feature film Sidelined: The QB and Me (a Wattpad-adapted rom-com starring Siena Agudong and Noah Beck)—shooting in Canada.

Perks included a hotel suite, drivers, hair-and-makeup tents, and a full month on set. But the quiet nights hit hard. Overstimulated, imposter syndrome, tears. She worshiped, prayed, and heard clear as day:

“I am the only one who fills your joy.”

During those long drives to set, Asia shared her full testimony with her driver, Mike—an older guy who’d had a near-death experience years back. She told him about the church that changed everything, the baptism, the dark-room prayers. Mike listened, eyes wide. By the end of the ride, he admitted he hadn’t opened a Bible in decades. “Asia, you’ve got me wanting to read it again,” he said. Weeks later, he texted her updates: starting with Genesis, then the Gospels, hungry for more. That one conversation—born out of her vulnerability—became a ripple she never expected. “Telling Mike about Jesus filled me with more joy than any day on set,” she said. It was proof: your story, shared in obedience, can wake up someone else’s faith.

Current Projects and Future Vision (God’s Got the Pen Now)

Asia has been writing a faith-based script since she was 15—now it’s all about God’s timing and redemption, with a Pursuit of Happiness feel but heavier on Jesus.

She’s launching her own podcast soon and wants to direct or produce stories that make non-believers curious about faith. “We need films that show who God really is,” she said.

Mili prayed over the script right there on the mic: angels, protection, impact for generations.

Belief-o-meter: Film Industry Edition (Asia’s Spotlight on the Divine)

We always close English episodes with the Belief-o-meter, and Asia zeroed in on the top rung—Divine ✨. She dreams of a faith-based blockbuster that doesn’t just preach to the choir but slips past defenses and sparks real curiosity in non-believers. Picture a story blending grit, redemption, and subtle Jesus moments that leaves viewers Googling “Who is this guy?” long after the credits roll. “That’s the kind of film that could change everything,” she said, eyes lighting up. It’s not about fame anymore—it’s about stories that pull people toward the One who fills every empty seat in the theater of the heart.